Doubts over `Dear Leader'

SO little is known in the West about the man who may soon rule North Korea - and possibly command a nuclear bomb - that the slightest shard of a rumor about his behavior is inspected abroad like a new meteorite.

Did Kim Jong Il, son of ``Great Leader'' Kim Il Sung and the heir apparent, fall off a horse last year and suffer permanent disability?

Was ``Dear Leader,'' as he is called, rude to subordinates at a public event?